I am in a bit of a dilemma. I am currently attending a private university for FREE, and I am in a general art/digital media program. I have been having a major conflict with wanting to move out of state and get a Design/3d art degree. Would it help me much more to pack up and leave and find a new school? Or should I just push through the 1.5 years I have left and then pursue a masters/certifications in 3d, after I have my traditional art degree?

Personally I think there's a lot of value in a traditional college education, as much for the social aspect as the academic one. You learn a ton about yourself living on your own and get exposed to new ideas and experiences. Your artistic viewpoint is also informed by everything you learn so classes in sociology, psychology, political science, etc., absolutely affect how you look at the world and tell stories.

So all that being said, it's tough to beat getting a degree for free. I'd stick out the four year degree (especially if you only have a year and a half left) focusing as much as possible on traditional media (figure drawing, photography, painting), and then look into a more specialized program after you graduate. Something like iAnimate.net or Animation Mentor if you want to be an animator or Gnomon for visual effects would be perfect for giving you a more specialized CG education when you're ready for it.

Originally Posted by fig:Personally I think there's a lot of value in a traditional college education, as much for the social aspect as the academic one. You learn a ton about yourself living on your own and get exposed to new ideas and experiences. Your artistic viewpoint is also informed by everything you learn so classes in sociology, psychology, political science, etc., absolutely affect how you look at the world and tell stories.

Well said.

The popular argument on this forum is that you don't need a degree for this line of work, and that just learning off DVDs is sufficient. I agree in terms of attaining physical artistic skill level, but I do think a traditional academic education has much hidden benefits that may not be apparent to you until later years. Most of it has to do with personal growth and social aspect as mentioned by fig. And yes style, creativity, and artistic judgement has everything to do with how you were brought up and things you experienced and learned in life. A lot of that life experience comes during university when you are accessible to different academic disciplines and social events. Specialized programs and schools often cannot offer the same type of environment for personal growth.

When I was in university I also felt anxious about 'wasting time' in a less specialized program. But I pushed through, got my degree, worked 2 yrs in crappy jobs, and then went to VFS for their 1-yr intensive afterwards. Thinking backwards, I would never have made such good use of my time at VFS if I were younger and less mature. Moreover I don't think I could have landed a great first job if not for my prior life experiences and also my degree. Now I no longer think I wasted any time, but I didn't learn that until 6 years later .

You only have 1.5yrs, keep at it and good luck. One day you will realized you picked up invaluable things along the way.

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